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Our Forum is the all year around meeting place, where drivers and owners come for Information or discuss trucking and expediting related questions. Whether you drive a Tractor/Trailer, Expediter Straight Truck or Van, you are very welcome here in Expediter World. We bring you Expediting and Trucking News on a regular basis. Trucking Professionals as well as Newbie's enjoy our Photo Gallery and NEW Free Classifieds. You can also find the right job with our new website, please visit us at www.expediterjobsonline.com. You can also check diesel fuel prices with our National Truckstop fuel price locator. Join us in relaxing, having fun and playing games.
Semi-truck crash in Wind River Canyon causes delays |  | 
A crash involving a semi-truck occurred Thursday night at the Wind River Canyon, causing delays of up to an hour for motorists traveling on U.S. 20/Wyoming 789 on Friday as officials work to clean up the debris. “The crash happened around 11 p.m. last night in an area called ‘Big Windy’ inside Wind River Canyon,” Russ Dowdy, Wyoming Department of Transportation maintenance foreman in Thermopolis, said in a press release. “It’s my understanding the driver of the truck is OK. The truck was hauling bulk sugar.” According to the release, most of the semi-truck did not crash into the Wind River, but it overturned above the river about 10 miles south of Thermopolis. No damage occurred to the road, but 400 to 500 feet of guardrail was destroyed. It was snowing Thursday night in the canyon, and the road was slick, according to the release. Wyoming Highway Patrol was on scene Friday and repairs were expected to begin as early as Sunday. A temporary reduced speed limit of 45 mph and 30 mph is in effect until the guardrail is repaired. The speed limit will return to 65 mph when repairs are complete. FedEx truck crash cleared, Roseville bridge open | |
A crash involving a FedEx truck and a vehicle is blocking the Sierra Street Bridge in Roseville on Friday. A crash involving a FedEx truck and car that shut down the Sierra Street Bridge in Roseville has been cleared, officials said Officials said the driver of a 2005 Ford Taurus was possibly distracted while driving driving west on Sierra Street. The driver veered, bounced off the bridge abutment and into the path of the eastbound FedEx truck, when they collided into each other. Both drivers were taken to the hospital with possible minor injuries, officials said. The bridge, also known as the Crooked Bridge, is opened for traffic. Trucking Company shut down by feds is back up and running | |
A Vermont trucking company with operations in Maine is back in business after being shut down by federal inspectors. Land Air Express of New England had been shut down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for safety violations but that decision was overturned late Thursday afternoon. The Federal motor carrier safety administration took enforcement action back in October giving the Vermont based trucking company 60 days to come up with a plan of action or contest a number of safety violations According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration, there were 327 inspections done over the past two years and in 167 of them they found safety inspections leading to the shutdown. Federal Officials did issue a statement late Thursday afternoon explaining that they had negotiated a safety management plan with Land Air Express to correct deficiencies. As a result of the trucking company has conditional approval to operate and will be closely monitored over the next two years. Land Air Express of New England has facilities in Scarborough, Houlton, and Pittsfield. Woman traumatized by finding human face on car wash floor sues trucking company | |
It all began with a September 2013 hit-and-run accident involving a semitrailer truck, the plaintiff in a Montana lawsuit says. The victim, Elgie Bedford, 81, who had been on foot after his car went off the road, was struck by other vehicles, investigators believe, Courthouse News reports. The driver of one, Wryan Young, 31, allegedly drove on to a car wash in Livingston, where “a large recognizable part of a human face” was later spotted by veterinarian Kimberly Kriege. Kriege says that she was treated as a suspect and held for several hours after she called police. Plus, she had to get counseling for psychological trauma as a result of the incident. She is seeking damages from the trucking company, CRST Expedited, in the suit, which was filed Monday in Gallatin County Court. Truck driver David Welk, 45, was convicted in 2014 in Sweet Grass County District Court of leaving the accident scene and served nearly a year behind bars. Young, who allegedly washed Bedford’s face off her pickup truck, also was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and evidence tampering, but the case against her was later dismissed, Courthouse News reports. She said in testimony at Welk’s trial that she thought she had simply run over a large piece of cloth. U.S.'s second largest private trucking firm announces incentive-based pay raise for drivers | |
It didn't take long for U.S. Xpress drivers to get their first pay raise of 2016. Earlier this week, officials at the country's second-largest private trucking firm announced that solo drivers with 12 months of clean, violation-free driving — whether with U.S. Xpress or another company — will get a 13.5-percent increase in pay per mile, effective March of this year. The safety-based pay increase would boost a solo driver making 40 cents a mile to 45 cents a mile, for instance. U.S. Xpress raised driver wages 13 percent across the board last fall. Company officials said the latest pay raise could take a solo driver with five years' experience up to $70,000 a year. Eric Fuller, president and chief operating officer at U.S. Xpress, said about 40 percent of the company's roughly 3,000-person driver pool is made up of solo drivers. U.S. Xpress, like most long-haul, truckload carriers, also employs driving teams, which are typically made up of two drivers in a single truck, switching on and off to deliver goods faster. Team driving is considered by many drivers to offer the best at making the most money. But Fuller said this week that solo drivers still play a vital role and that U.S. Xpress is trying to reward good, safe drivers who consistently deal with increasing traffic and government regulations on the roads. Fuller said also that as the trucking industry faces a dramatic shortage of drivers — estimated to be as high as 48,000 right now and up to 174,000 in eight years, according to the American Trucking Associations — it's important for carriers to reward those who do it right. "I think as a major employer of truck drivers, we have to help the industry attract more people and retain more people," he said. "I think employment is just to get tougher." Trucking companies compete heavily with the construction industry for workers. With a rebounding home market and a new highway funding bill — expected to produce road building jobs — Fuller said U.S. Xpress has "to create a job that's attractive, and I think pay's a large part of doing that." U.S. Xpress — which celebrates its 30th anniversary on Jan. 21 — has traditionally been on the cutting edge of trucking innovation, including driver pay. But other trucking firms, jockeying for good drivers, have also announced driver pay increases in recent months. In December, Nebraska-based Werner Enterprises rolled out pay increases for its 1,400 solo drivers. The pay increase — which averaged $5,000 — went into effect this month. Werner had previously announced pay increases in November. "Pay increases are one piece of our multi-faceted approach to attract and retain the best in the industry and make Werner the employer of choice," Werner President Derek Leathers said. Fuller, meanwhile, said the pay raise for U.S. Xpress' solo drivers is a new strategy for the company, and may be implemented for team drivers as well, after officials review the results. Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480. Find out more Those interested in driving for U.S. Xpress should visit www.usxjobs.com or call 866-576-2979. Truck driver crashes after e-cigarette explodes | |
A truck driver was taken to the hospital with facial injuries after his e-cigarette exploded, causing him to crash on the highway. The crash happened Tuesday on I-65 at the Jackson and Scott County line. Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with Indiana State Police said no one else was injured when the truck ran off the road and into a guardrail. “His injuries were sustained from this device malfunctioning and not specifically from the crash,” Wheeles said. Wheeles said that the driver explained that the electronic cigarette he was smoking had exploded while he was driving. “There was some charring and some pieces of the device that were scattered inside the cab,” Wheeles said. Electronic cigarette explosions and fires have been reported across the country as the devices have increased in popularity. A 2014 study by FEMA, however, found that “fires or explosions caused by e-cigarettes are rare,” and that most are caused by user error. The study cited just 25 such incidents between 2009 and 2014. Shadi Khoury, who owns Indy E Cigs, told FOX59 that an explosion would more than likely be caused by the battery. E-cigarettes use rechargeable lithium ion batteries that can be dangerous if used improperly. “You could be using the wrong battery, you could be charging it with the wrong kind of charger, so it’s hard to say if this was user error,” Khoury said. Khoury also pointed out that the booming market has resulted in some cheap, knock-off devices that might not come from a reputable manufacturer or dealer. He suggested that anyone buying an e-cigarette make sure they do their research and work with someone who is knowledgeable about them. “Education, making sure you have the right device, high quality batteries, (and) high quality devices are really the best way to avoid some sort of incident like that from occurring,” Khoury said. “If they think they’re doing something wrong or they’re worried that something like this could happen, I welcome you to come to any one of our stores.” The truck driver was taken to a hospital in Louisville, where his condition was not available Wednesday. Indiana State Police are investigating the cause of the explosion. |
Feds move to overhaul truck, bus safety determinations | |
The Obama administration is moving to overhaul the way it determines the fitness of truck and bus companies to operate on U.S. roadways. The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a proposal on Friday to "update FMCSA’s safety fitness rating methodology by integrating on-road safety data from inspections, along with the results of carrier investigations and crash reports, to determine a motor carrier’s overall safety fitness on a monthly basis." Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the changes will improve the ability of federal regulators to identify bad actors that are endangering drivers and passengers on U.S. roadways. “Ensuring that motor carriers are operating safely on our nation’s roadways is one of our highest priorities,” Foxx said in a statement. “Using all available information to achieve more timely assessments will allow us to better identify unsafe companies and get them off the road.” The motor carrier safety administration's proposal calls for ditching a rating system that contains three categories — "satisfactory," "conditional" and "unsatisfactory" — in favor of a new system that would just label truck and bus companies as "fit" or "unfit." The existing three-tier motor carrier safety determination system has been in place since 1982. The proposal would also increase the use of data from the motor carrier safety administration's Compliance, Safety, Accountability program that is used to measure truck and bus companies' compliance with federal regulations. Acting FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling said Friday the proposed changes to the process of determining the fitness to operate of truck and bus company would increase the number of motor carrier operators that can be tested in a month. “This update to our methodology will help the agency focus on carriers with a higher crash risk,” he said. “Carriers that we identify as unfit to operate will be removed from our roadways until they improve.” The motor carrier safety administration said it will be able to test the compliance of 75,000 truck and bus companies under the new methodology for determining safety compliance. The agency said it can only test 15,000 motor carrier per month under the system is currently in place. Truckers lose licenses, no fault of their own | |
Jose Perez paid thousands of dollars to go to trucking school. But now, three years later, if he doesn’t fork over hundreds more to retake the driving test, the state is taking back his license. “At the time, everything was ok,” he said. “And three years is a long time to get a letter like this.” Perez and about two thousand other Florida truckers are receiving a letter, warning the state, “has good cause to confirm your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.” Helpless, Perez turned to 8 On Your Side for answers. We found this is tied to a fake truck driving school in Orlando, Larex, Inc. Perez had nothing to do with that school. Larex officials were indicted in July 2015 for selling CDL licenses to at least 600 Russians – even though they weren’t qualified and many could not speak English well enough to read the written portion of the test. Perez got his training at 1st Class CDL Truck Training in Tampa. It turns out, one of the school’s state certified testers, Clarence Davis, was the same one officials say was bribed by the Russian school. 1st class CDL Training Director John Ciszek said his school has been bombarded with upset students who received this letter because they tested with Davis. Ciszek said he himself tested with Davis and received the same letter. School officials feel bad, he said, because this school had nothing to do with what happened and had no control over the state inspector. He said they are trying to help students who have to retake the test by offering a discount. However, he said, he is concerned about other truckers who should not have passed the test. “It’s very alarming because you have people out there who are driving 18-wheel vehicles that weigh 80,000 pounds that are not really qualified to be behind the wheel,” Ciszek said. Meanwhile, Perez is stuck with a tough choice. He wants to keep his license but does not want to pay more and retake a test he already passed. “I did my part so I think I should be able to keep my license,” he said. Trucking tycoon’s estate will pay Texas $160,000 | |
The state will receive $160,000 from trucking tycoon Bill Hall Jr.’s estate under an agreed judgment approved by Bexar County Probate Judge Tom Rickhoff signed this week. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality had sued the estate seeking to recover more than $200,000 in grant money it provided Hall to purchase 13 environmentally friendly trucks. Hall received $476,631 in grant money, but the company failed to operate the trucks for the length the full term of the contracts, the lawsuit charged. The grants were made under a program designed to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from older heavy-duty, on-road vehicles and non-road equipment by encouraging individuals and businesses to upgrade. Hall died in October 2013. His widow has been charged in his slaying. Go to ExpressNews.com or Thursday’s Business section to read more about the case. XPO Logistics Trucking Subsidiaries Sued Over Driver Classification | |
Class-action lawsuit argues that drivers were misclassified as independent contractorsThree trucking company subsidiaries of XPO Logistics Inc. were sued in California Monday for allegedly misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors. The lawsuit seeking class action status, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, argues that drivers for XPO subsidiaries Pacer Cartage Inc., Harbor Rail Transport and PDS Transportation Inc. failed to pay minimum wage, provide meal breaks and rest breaks and to reimburse business expenses, among other allegations. In an emailed statement, XPO Chief Operating Officer Troy Cooper said: “We believe this case is without merit and plan to litigate it vigorously. We are in constant dialogue with our independent-contractor carriers and believe the vast majority of them value the significant benefits that operating independently can bring.” XPO, a transportation services company, has grown rapidly over the past few years through acquisitions. Until last year, when XPO purchased trucking company Con-way Inc. and French transportation firm Norbert Dentressangle SA, most of the company’s subsidiaries were “asset-light,” meaning their contractors owned the equipment—for example, trucks—that they used to transport cargo. The trucking companies that were sued Monday perform what is known as drayage trucking services, or hauling goods the short distance between seaports and nearby rail yards and warehouses, a key link in the national supply chain. Within the domestic drayage market, estimated by research firm FTR Transportation Intelligence as generating $12 billion in annual revenue, the independent owner-operator model is common. But that model has increasingly come under legal scrutiny, in drayage as well as other sectors of the transportation industry. Alleged misclassification of workers has led to high-profile lawsuits against Uber Technologies Inc. and FedEx Corp. , among others. FedEx settled a case in California last year for $228 million. Last month, a California judge ruled to expand a class-action suit brought against Uber by three drivers who claim they are employees, not contractors, and deserve benefits such as workers’ compensation. Workers in the lawsuit filed Monday are being represented by the Los Angeles law firm Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP, which has previously brought similar claims against several drayage trucking companies, including Pacer. A $4.25 million settlement with Pacer, which they reached last May, is awaiting a judge’s approval. State releases proposed locations of truck tolls | |
Gov. Gina Raimondo's administration on Tuesday released a list of 14 preliminary locations under consideration for truck tolls. Truckers would encounter six tolls on Interstate 95 between Hopkinton and Pawtucket and three tolls on Interstate 295. Gantries would be erected on routes 6 and 146, and truckers would also pay a toll both ways on the Washington Bridge between Providence and East Providence. The list was released as the General Assembly convened for its 2016 session. Raimondo has proposed placing a toll on big trucks as a way to generate funds to repair Rhode Island's deteriorating roads and bridges. The plan needs approval from the General Assembly and the Federal Highway Administration. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello applauded Tuesday's announcement, saying it's important for the General Assembly and public to know where the proposed tolls are located. "But we will certainly not move forward until we have a very public debate and we learn all the positives aspects of the plan and all the negatives, including the gantry locations," Matiellio said. State Transportation Director Peter Alviti said there are certain protections in the bill that would keep the tolls only to large commercial trucks. "The Senate approved the bill last June, and the bill before the General Assembly this year specifically eliminates the ability to toll smaller trucks and passenger vehicles," Alviti said. Alviti said he's confident that now that the proposed toll locations have been released that lawmakers will pass the tolling bill and send it to the governor's desk." The Rhode Island Trucking Association responded by saying the administration still needs to release more details about the proposal. "At this point we are only getting information related to toll locations based on media accounts," said Chris Maxwell, president of the Rhode Island Trucking Association, in a statement. "It should not have taken six months for this information to be released and it begs many more questions including the toll amounts at each gantry and whether or not these initial locations are situated on the most structurally deficient bridges." According to documents released by the RIDOT, the 14 proposed toll locations are: Interstate 95 over Mechanic Street, Hopkinton/Richmond Interstate 95 over Tefft Hill Trail and Route 3, Exeter Interstate 95 over Toll Gate Road (Route 115) and Centerville Road (Route 117), Warwick Interstate 95 over Oxford Street, Providence Interstate 95 over U.S. Route 6, Providence River and Amtrak, Providence Interstate 95 over East Street and Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket Interstate 295 over Water Supply Viaduct and Plainfield Pike (Route 14), Cranston Interstate 295 over Hartford Pike and Greenville Avenue, Johnston Interstate 295 over Scott Road and Leigh Road, Cumberland Interstate 195 over Seekonk River, Providence/East Providence Route 146 over George Washington Highway (Route 116), Lincoln Route 146 over Farnum Pike (Route 104), North Smithfield U.S. Route 6 over Woonasquatucket River, Providence U.S. Route 6 and Route 10 Interchange, Providence Indiana project will track overweight trucks' license plates | |
A 40-ton truck causes as much pavement damage as 9,600 cars, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation. (The Trucker file photo)
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Indiana highway officials are launching a pilot project to track unpermitted overweight vehicles that can damage highways and bridges. The Indiana Department of Transportation will install license plate-tracking technology along Interstate 94 in northern Indiana's LaPorte County this year to track overnight vehicles. INDOT spokesman Scott Manning says a camera system will work in tandem with one of about a dozen "weight-in-motion" sensors embedded in the asphalt. If the pilot in LaPorte County is successful, more cameras could be rolled out as INDOT may "recommend legislative changes" to state lawmakers, according to a press release. Kapsch, a company specializing in transportation technology, agreed to provide pilot equipment — which could be installed by spring 2016 — at no cost, Manning said. The Journal & Courier reports (http://on.jconline.com/1VsPoFm ) INDOT's tracking effort comes after an overweight semi-trailer damaged Interstate 65's southbound Wildcat Creek bridge near Lafayette last summer. Once damage to the southbound Wildcat Creek bridge was discovered, the agency "inspected all bridges of similar design" across the state "and found no systemic problems" — except damage to one bridge near downtown Indianapolis, according to a timeline provided by INDOT said Ann Rearick, director of bridges. After repairs were finished, Purdue University and INDOT experts retroactively inspected weight-in-motion data from a sensor in Merrillville to determine a 58-ton truck had likely caused the damage to the bridge when it crossed sometime in May, Rearick said. Trucks weighing more than 40 tons must receive a permit from the state to ensure the load is properly configured; in this case, a single axle on the truck was bearing nearly 72,000 pounds, Rearick said. "It was definitely running illegal, and the load was distributed very poorly," she said. Manning said it's difficult to assign a number to how often overweight trucks drive on Indiana roads, saying in an e-mail that "vehicles can cause both specific damage, like in the case of the I-65 bridge, and accelerated degradation to pavement or structures." A 40-ton truck, for example, causes as much pavement damage as 9,600 cars, according to a press release. |
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